Simmons’ top-pick status in jeopardy
Ben Simmons really had to screw things up to put his status at risk as the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft. It appears that he has managed.
It’s not that his skill level was misread. He came to LSU exactly as advertised: exceptional ballhandler at 6-foot-10, tremendous passer, unselfish, unlimited potential, strangely bereft of a jump shot. It’s the look of him that has NBA scouts concerned.
Appearing listless and detached at times, Simmons rarely seemed willing to take over a game. At crucial times, his teammates weren’t necessarily looking his way. There’s a presence to the really great players, something that vibrates throughout the arena, and Simmons has virtually none. He’ll pull off something truly magical, then disappear for a spell. The fact that he couldn’t lead LSU into the NCAA Tournament, such a fine showcase for all great prospects, is somewhat mystifying.
(The last player to be drafted No. 1 overall after missing that year’s tournament: Michael Olowokandi in 1998.)
Simmons grew up and learned the game in Australia, and according to several reports, his demeanor has not impressed members of that country’s national team. The great Australian athletes have always been known for their passionate desire and work ethic, and it’s offputting on any continent to witness superior talent go to waste.
Simmons’ defense has come into question, and his lack of an outside shot (even at mid-range) is a bright red flag. Teams are starting to wonder if Duke freshman Brandon Ingram, a much better shooter with the ability to guard several positions, might be a better call. The prediction here: Simmons. Reports project him as a bigger, more athletic Draymond Green, and he’s only 19 years old. In an NBA that’s all about change, who’s going to pass on that?
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Speaking of a change in temperament, this column speaks loudly against DeMarcus Cousins helping any team that might acquire him; the man is just too angry, predisposed to acrimony. But we felt that way about Zach Randolph, too. He was a more severe case, constantly monitored and occasionally busted by the Portland police, but a change of scene (to Memphis) completely turned him around.
Let’s allow the great Bob Ryan to speak for all NBA writers, maddeningly stashed in the rafters of most arenas after years of covering the game from a courtside location: “Under these conditions, I could never have written what I did, as well as I did — it was all about access back then,” said Ryan, a legend at the Boston Globe, in an interview with the Big Lead. “Not only was I able to see the game unimpeded, but I could
hear it, which is so vital. Now they treat the writers like cow dung. You can’t see the game properly, and it’s never going to change. They’re not going to take away courtside seats that generate thousands of dollars per night to give print people better access so they can write better basketball stories.”
Ryan again, on texting and tweeting from the press zones: “What a laughable modern phenomenon. I just can’t believe that this is what people do, instead of watching the games. I can’t even grasp it. One of my favorite columnists, for example, sent out 25 tweets from a Dodgers game. Every pitching change. For what? Who is he addressing? I don’t get this.”
At a time when Rick Barry implores every terrible free-throw shooter to try the underhanded style, somebody actually made the change. It was nothing special — Louisville center Chinanu Onuaku hit 33 of his 56 attempts — but it was a vast improvement for him, and he didn’t buy this nonsense (preached by so many NBA big men) that the approach looks effeminate. Great: The brick-throwers would rather watch their misses explode off the rim than have the ball land gently, bounce around a bit and perhaps even go in.
Every time it seems the Cleveland Cavaliers have it together, along comes a game like Wednesday’s against Dallas. They barely pulled it out (9998), but with LeBron James getting a rest, point guard Kyrie Irving delivered one assist in 39 minutes and dribbled out the entire 24 seconds at one point before unloading a shot.
Some insiders find it unlikely that Kevin Durant would settle for a “can’t beat ’em, join ’em” approach, sign with the Warriors and play second fiddle to Stephen Curry. He’s a bigger talent than that, said to fancy leading a long-starved team on the verge of contention. He speaks highly of the Boston Celtics’ tradition, and that’s a team on the verge of a major breakthrough with Coach of the Year candidate Brad Stevens and three firstround picks in this year’s draft.
The triangle offense dates to coach Sam Barry in the 1940s and two of his USC players who went on to coach it successfully: Tex Winter (at many levels) and Alex Hannum, who employed it on the NBA champion 76ers in 1966-67. It still could work, under the right circumstances. But it’s painful to watch Knicks team president Phil Jackson stubbornly cling to the triangle with coach Derek Fisher (who was fired) and now another of his former players, Kurt Rambis.
“I love the triangle if I have Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, or Kobe ( Bryant) and Shaq ( O’Neal),” said TNT’s Reggie Miller, referring to Jackson’s success with the Bulls and Lakers. “It’s just crap on this team, especially against a freeflowing style like the Lakers play.” So true. As the Knicks staggered through an awful loss in Oakland last week, their sheer incompetence was stunning to behold.